Prevalence of dizziness in relation to psychological factors and general health in older adults

• The present study examined the point prevalence of dizziness among older adults in the Swedish population. It also explored the relationship between dizziness and general health and psychological factors, and the impact of dizziness on daily life. Data were obtained by means of a postal survey, administrated to 2000 randomly selected adults. Among the responders, 247 were aged 65-79 years. Dizziness was defined as being at least slightly annoyed by dizziness or unsteadiness at present. Results showed that the point prevalence of dizziness was estimated at 25.2%. Dizziness increased significantly with age among the women, but not among the men. Statistically significant associations were found between dizziness and anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, depression, hearing problems, tinnitus, pain in neck or shoulder and muscle tension. Almost 10% of the sample had visited a physician during the last 12 months concerning their dizziness and more than 10% reported having been prevented from working or performing normal activities for at least a day due to dizziness. In conclusion, the present study suggests that, at present, more than 25% of the older adults in Sweden are suffering from dizziness. It also suggests that a large proportion of the older adults in the country visit a physician concerning their problems with dizziness each year, and that there are associations between dizziness and factors in multiple domains in this population. © 2006 Taylor & Francis.

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